arbitral
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does arbitral mean? Arbitral is used to describe things related to or involving arbitration—the process in which two parties in a dispute use an independent, impartial third party to settle the dispute, often by making a decision that they both agree to. For a process to be considered arbitration, it must involve an impartial third party, which can be a single person or a team of people. This person or team is called an arbitrator. To act as this arbitrator is to arbitrate. The term arbitration is typically used in the context of negotiations between businesses and labor unions as well as in international disputes. When two sides can’t agree and negotiations are unproductive, they may seek to pursue arbitration by bringing in an arbitrator. In these contexts, arbitral is often used in phrases like arbitral decision and arbitral award (a monetary or other award decided upon by an arbitrator). Arbitral can also be used to describe something involving an arbiter, which generally refers to any person who has been assigned the role of settling a dispute or rendering a decision on an issueExample: The arbitral award resulting from the arbitration process is still controversial.
Etymology
Origin of arbitral
1600–10; (< Old French ) < Late Latin arbitrālis. See arbiter, -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr Bloom told BBC News that Pegasus emphatically disputed "any allegations of misconduct" and said they were "addressing the clearly flawed arbitral findings through established legal processes".
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2025
An international arbitral ruling in 2016 dismissed that line as having no legal basis.
From Reuters ● Apr. 29, 2023
“The final arbitral decision cannot be considered to be legal and grounded,” a government legal source told the news service.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 29, 2021
“Due to confidentiality, we are unable to disclose any information in relation to arbitral proceedings,” a spokesperson for the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre said in an email.
From The Verge ● Oct. 25, 2018
But the spirit for arbitral settlement is widening.
From Prize Orations of the Intercollegiate Peace Association by Weston, Stephen Francis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
